Spanish Pottery Made in Ancient Styles

THERE are no pottery shops in Moveros. Yet this tiny village, about 150 miles northwest of Madrid, is renowned for its ceramics, sold in the homes of the women who make them.

Moveros is only one of many Spanish towns and villages where potters work in a tradition stretching back more than 1,000 years. Pots are still being made that closely resemble the ancient Roman jars called amphoras, Gothic cookware and Moorish water jugs. And while clay pots are not as necessary as they once were, they are still used in most homes. Earthenware baking dishes are common in bars and restaurants, and decorated tilework adorns many public and private buildings.

In cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, shoppers can find the products of this tradition in stores that sell only pottery. But visitors seeking insight as well as souvenirs should head for the pottery towns scattered throughout the country - towns such as Moveros; Alba de Tormes, near Salamanca; Buno, in Galicia; El Puente del Arzobispo, about 90 miles southwest of Madrid; Ubeda, in Andalusia, and Agost, near the Mediterranean coast.

In Moveros, all the potters are women, one of only three sites in Spain where this is so. (The others are nearby Pereruela and Mota del Cuervo, southeast of Madrid.) They make their pots by kneeling in front of a hand-turned wheel, a method dating to Roman times. Their roofless, circular kilns are Celtic in origin.

All the pieces are made from the white clay that is dug nearby and is flecked with tiny black and gold specks of basalt. When fired, it turns a honey-brown color, with dark spots and traces of other colors left by the wood used to fire the kilns.

On warm, sunny days, the potters of Moveros can be seen working outdoors in shaded areas. At other times, look for the stone-walled kilns in the fields behind the houses. A sizable water jar might cost $7, a pitcher, $5.

Moveros is most easily reached from Zamora, a city that has an abundance of 12th-and 13th-century churches and arched doorways full of stone-carved beasts and flora. There are several other pottery-producing areas in the region, notably Alba de Tormes. Eight potteries operate in this town of 4,000 people, and all produce the distinctive local filigree work that is associated with the town name. It's likely that the potters of Alba de Tormes were inspired by the delicate stone carving that decorates whole facades of buildings in Salamanca, about 15 miles away.

Many of the pieces, much more decorative than most traditional pottery, are enhanced with latticework made from clay coils. This latticework is usually applied either in a filigree style around the circumference of a plate or as an upright addition to the drinking vessel called a botijo. Some of these botijo lattices, which look like stylized clay grills, extend up several feet. The potters often tie them to broomsticks to keep them from warping while drying. The most famous of these pots have a miniature bull's head in the latticework.

Not all the pots produced here are so fanciful. Each potter maintains a small display area of his finished work in some corner of his studio, including stacks of bowls, plates, cups, pitchers and the like intended for everyday use. All the pots are made from the same local red earthenware and covered with the same leaf motifs and geometric designs. These surface designs are drawn with white clay to contrast with the brick-colored clay of the pots.

A small, individual-sized bowl costs $1. A larger bowl that could be used for serving a mixed salad costs about $5. Pots decorated with fanciful filigree are slightly more expensive: a 10-inch plate with a coiled rim sells for about $12, and three-foot-high showpieces cost up to $150 (at 123 pesetas to the dollar).

While many of the potters in Alba de Tormes have switched to modern electric kilns to reduce their losses, Amiano Perez Gomez still uses a wood-fired kiln. Attributed to Celtic design, it is little more than a hole in the ground, with pots simply stacked one on top of another. Electric firing affords consistent results, but wood firing always leaves its mark - a bright orange spot, a silver streak, a red blush. Those who treasure the handmade respect these surprises.

To the northwest in Galicia, pottery is the main industry in the village of Buno. There are several pottery stores on its main street, some cooperatively owned by potters. Not all the work made in Buno is of quality, however. Small trinkets sell better than traditional pottery, and some potters have modified bulbous forms into simple cylinders so that more can be made in a shorter time. Still, Buno has many fine potters, and their work is worth seeking out.

The village also offers several traditional pots that are made only in northwestern Spain. One such piece, a chocolatera, is used for making hot chocolate. It resembles a lidded pitcher, with three short clay feet attached to the bottom, allowing the pot to sit in the embers of a fire.

Another unusual piece is the queimada pot. Queimada is a warm alcoholic beverage usually served to cap a meal on a special occasion. A mixture of a strong Galician liqueur, apples and sugar, the drink is prepared in a large bowl and then set aflame. The queimada pot includes the bowl and several cups that hang over its rim by their handles. Guests are encouraged to dip the cups in the bowl.

Prices vary in Buno, so part of the fun is shopping around for the best pot at the best price. Queimada bowls with cups come in all sizes, and prices range from $10 to $30. Most chocolateras sell for less than $8.

Closer to Madrid, a totally different type of pottery is produced at El Puente del Arzobispo, about 90 miles southwest of the capital. The work here is more elaborately decorated. Stylized animals and vegetation are painted on many of the pieces, which are predominantly green and gold. Over half the working population is involved in the pottery business, and small factories have developed, most employing three to five people. Labor is more specialized here than in most pottery communities; people are employed as potters, decorators and general laborers, the latter usually making the clay and loading and unloading the kilns.

The pottery from El Puente del Arzobispo, some of which still closely resembles 16th- and 17th-century museum pieces, immediately appeals to tourists because of its bright colors, shiny glazes and whimsical drawings. Several of Spain's largest department stores sell this work, but a trip to this unassuming village lets the visitor choose from thousands of pieces offered by the many stores and workshops. Prices, which are usually consistent, run about $4 for a dinner-size plate, $3 for a small vase.

FEW foreign tourists visit El Puente del Arzobispo, so the potters assume that those who do are especially curious. Though few of the potters speak English, they receive interested visitors enthusiastically, sometimes inviting them into their studios. There it is possible to view the decorating process as well as potmaking. Alongside each decorator's chair is a small bench containing 20 to 30 jars of color and at least 20 different brushes. The men and women decorate at incredible speeds and seldom look down when changing colors or brushes.

Ubeda, about 90 miles east of Cordoba, is one of the country's larger pottery centers. Perhaps the most famous artisans here are members of a family that is known by the nickname Tito. They include the 86-year-old father, known simply as Padre, and his two sons, Juan and Paco Martinez. While not all their pottery is historically accurate, they have tried to preserve the qualities that distinguish the best work of the past. Most of it holds to its functional roots, including pitchers, plates, bowls, vases, candelabras and jugs. But objects with no historical precedent, such as teapots, have also been introduced.

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Almost all the potteries are located on Calle Valencia, on the far side of town. As is typical in southern Andalusia, they are of Moorish design with domed ceilings, and many are built of dry stone, without mortar of any kind. And whereas many kilns elsewhere use scrap lumber and pine, most of the Ubeda kilns use olive wood.

After firing, the pots are mirror-black, straw yellow or dark foliage green. These colors are an adjustment to modern taste. In former times, most of the finished pots were merely fired clay. Only those specially ordered by wealthier patrons were glazed.

A quart-sized jug sells for $8. Vases range from $4 to $20, priced according to size. Very large one-of-a-kind pieces sell for $50 and up.

One should not leave Ubeda before asking Juan Martinez Tito to see his museum; there are no regular hours. He has been collecting old pots for more than 25 years in the house he was born in. Among the hundreds of cantaros (water jugs) and tinajas (large jars) are singular items such as a Roman clay bathtub.

PERHAPS the ultimate town for the pottery aficionado is Agost, easily reached from the Mediterranean resort city of Alicante. It has not only 20 operating potteries but also a pottery museum and a hermitage dedicated to the patron saints of the craft. Many of the potteries produce only white botijos; the town supplies the whole of Spain with these celebrated drinking vessels and exports them to France, Germany and England. A classic of Spanish life, the botijo is unglazed so the fired clay retains some porosity. The pot actually ''sweats,'' and the water inside remains cool. The botijos have two small openings in the top of the otherwise closed, bulbous form - one where the water is poured in and a small spout to drink from.

Agost has been a pottery town for more than 1,000 years. The present kiln designs are Moorish. Undoubtedly some of the largest kilns in the world, these three-story structures, sometimes built into the side of a hill, fire 8,000 to 12,000 botijos at a time. Toward the end of the firing cycle, which lasts 100 hours, the brick-constructed kilns roar as the huge wood-fueled fires underneath suck for oxygen. Most kilns are fired four to six times a year. Given that there are about 20 in Agost, a visitor's chance of seeing the process is good.

For those who miss this opportunity, there is a retired kiln at the Museo de Alfareria (Museum of Pottery) on Calle Teuleria. The kiln, which shares a wall with the museum, remains partly stacked with botijos. A visitor can't help but wonder at the prolific output required to fill these huge kilns. No wonder more than a few of the potters here are known as the best and quickest in Spain.

The museum is owned and operated by Ilse Schutz, a German who is making the museum her life's work. She has collected photographs, abandoned equipment and tools, and examples of more than 100 different botijos. Many displays explain the processes involved in pottery-making, and Ms. Schutz, who speaks four languages, including English, encourages visitors to ask questions. Botijos from several different potteries are also for sale here, at prices ranging from $2 to $10.

The future of traditional pottery-making in Spain is uncertain. What exists today is only a fraction of that which flourished 50 years ago. Many potters acknowledge that they will be the last in in their families to pursue their craft. For now, though, visitors who appreciate the handmade can take pleasure in the more than 100 centers that still exist. ON THE POTTERY TRAIL Directions

To reach Moveros from Zamora, take the N-122 to Ceadea, where there is a road marker for Moveros. (Many of the minor roads in Spain are not named, so it is often helpful to think in terms of moving from town to town. Many Spaniards also give directions this way.) To visit Alba de Tormes from Zamora, take Route 630 south to Salamanca, then pick up Route 501 toward Avila. A signpost will show the way to Alba de Tormes.

Buno is less than an hour's drive from Santiago de Compostela. Leave Santiago by following the sign for Portomouro, a village about 10 miles outside the city. At Portomouro, take the road for Carballo, where another sign points the way to Buno. For a more picturesque trip, follow the road sign from Portomouro to Santa Comba. Continue on this road through the village of Zas to Bayo. At Bayo, follow the road sign to Carballo, and proceed from there. This latter route, about 15 miles longer, offers a wonderful panorama of Galicia.

El Puente del Arzobispo is an easy trip for anyone visiting Madrid. Take the E-4, going west from Madrid. After about 60 miles, the road passes through Talavera de la Reina, another town once noted for its pottery. However, pottery is now mass-produced here, and offers little to those searching for folk traditions. Continue about 20 miles on E-4 to Oropesa and there follow the road south that leads to El Puente del Arzobispo.

To reach Ubeda, take the E-25 from Cordoba toward Madrid for about 65 miles to Bailen, then take Route 322 directly to Ubeda.

To reach Agost, leave Alicante via the road to San Vincente del Raspeig, where a sign points the way. Museums Pottery is exhibited in the following:

Visitors who are starting their trip to Spain in the capital may get an overview of Spanish pottery at shops such as El Cantaro, Calle Flor Baja 8; (91) 247 9514, or La Tierra, Calle Almirante 28; (91) 521 2134. - L. B.

LUCY BRESLIN, a potter who teaches at the Portland School of Art in Maine, studied ceramics in Spain last year under a Fulbright grant.

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A version of this article appears in print on August 14, 1988, on Page 5005006 of the National edition with the headline: Spanish Pottery Made in Ancient Styles. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe